Blue Like You

Archive for the ‘CBC has passed its 'Best Before' date’ Category

Hard times all over the place (as reported by CBC).

Except of course, at CBC.

Gee, I wonder why?

*   *   *   *

Wednesday Update:  Hunter and Raph have both picked up on this arrogant spending by the Mothercorps:

CBC, Their Hands in Our Pockets! - Climbing out of the Dark.

Twice at the Government Trough - Unambiguously Ambidextrous.

Found on the Post website:

"…almost two-thirds of Canadian voters consider the $1.1-billion the federal government spends on CBC’s English and French services to be a good use of taxpayers’ money…."

Oh yeah. One small footnote:

The survey was commissioned by "Friends of Canadian Broadcasting".

*   *   *   *

Update : And in case you missed it a few days ago, this is the latest installment of the Heather Mallick saga as far as I know.  Any tips welcome.

Really big update : CBC to look into anti-Harper clip made by reporter - Ottawa Citizen . (H/T to Sammy in comments)

Heather Mallick and the CBC do not speak for me.

Being taxed to support the CBC is outrageous!

Is there a politician out there with enough courage to take on this issue?

*   *   *   *

Update: This post is getting a lot of hits from American readers. I would really be interested in hearing your thoughts. Please join the discussion in Comments. Thanks.

CNEWS - Canadian columnist’s diatribe against Palin stokes anger in the U.S.::

"Those morons up north just can’t keep their ignorant mouths shut when it’s really none of their socialist business … the People’s Republic of Canada is no friend of the USA!"

Gee thanks, Heather.  So happy that you painted Canadians in this light - with OUR MONEY!

The CBC said Saturday it had no plans to remove Mallick’s article from its website despite the criticism.

"She’s an opinion columnist, she expresses her opinion. Her opinions don’t represent the views of CBC in general or CBC News in particular," said spokesman Jeff Keay.

Funny thing though Jeff. Americans don’t see it that way.

Somebody needs to send this one into TVO’s Steve Paikin for the leadership debates. Are we all o.k. with this?

David Warren - Heather’s Malice.

Is CBC a nest of left-wing vipers?

Comments in response to a related Globe article are worth checking out.

I’m working on a wish list of election issues, but this will definitely be on it - The question of whether we should look at privatizing the CBC.

Jonathan Kay’s column about the Ceeb’s Heather Mallick documents the latest in a series of irresponsible commenting and reporting indiscretions from our publicly funded broadcaster.

I’m in favour of free speech, but not this kind of vile tripe on my tax dollar, thank you very much.

Mallick’s deplorable column has received a lot of disgusted reaction from many Blogging Tories , and the Post has a letter in today’s paper from an outraged reader/taxpayer.

I would greatly respect any federal leader who would be courageous enough to take on this issue.

The CBC is becoming a huge embarrassment to Canadians and does not reflect my thoughts, that’s for sure.

To borrow Ezra’s phrase, Fire. Them. All. (except Rick Mercer and Rex Murphy)

Jonathan Kay has just published a story on National Post’s Full Comment about how CBC irresponsibly latched onto the Sarah Palin rumour circulating in the lefty blogosphere about Trig being her grandson instead of her own son. - The CBC’s appalling smear on Sarah Palin.

Not only that, but they put the story out after the rumour was proven to be incorrect:

…This is more than just a tiny factual slip-up. This was a marquee segment on the CBC’s crown jewel — The National — delivered by the network’s Washington correspondent at a major political event. How is it that McDonald would base his whole story on a political hoax that thousands of humble Web surfers like my friend had debunked a full two days earlier?

Your precious tax dollars hard at work.

Or as Ezra would say, "Fire. Them. All."

*   *   *   *

Update : Via Freedom is my Nationality - Meghan McCain’s blog.

Good discussion going on at Jack’s Newswatch.

Friday Update: Please check out this response from CBC’s Jeff Keay.

How does that hit you?

I had updated my previous post with the awesome news that the HNIC Theme will now be owned by CTV , and thought that was enough to mark this momentous occasion.

However, after having read CBC’s take on things , I feel that the event is separate post-worthy.

…CBC Sports executive director Scott Moore said he was disappointed but not surprised the song was shopped elsewhere…

…Moore said he was surprised a rival network would purchase something so inextricably linked the Hockey Night brand.

"It’s a constant commercial for our network," he said…

Uh, yeah. A constant commercial for the incompetence of the Mothercorps.

I only feel sorry for Don Cherry. Perhaps he should follow the song to its new home.

* * * *

Update: Check out MDL here around the 4:15 mark!!

Oops! Looks like Stompin’ Tom might save the day! I wonder how much that one’s going to cost us?

* * * *

Tuesday Update : SDA - BWWAAHAAAA!!!

The Record - CTV power play nets rights to former CBC hockey anthem. Clever headline.

Edmonton Journal - Hockey’s bone-headed play of the year.

* * * *

Wednesday Update : DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!!! Cobert on Hockey Night in Canada via Darryl Wolk.

I guess I’ll lend my voice to the chorus that is dissing CBC’s decision to drop the iconic Hockey Night in Canada theme. The National Post even calls it our Second Anthem.

My better half was shocked to read this morning that the CBC has actually now decided to launch a $100,000 contest to try to find a new song. As you can see from the Record’s editorial cartoon this morning, the prospects are frightening.

And knowing the CBC, it the costs won’t stop at $100,000. Leftist media thrives on bureaucracy. Imagine all the extra union members they’ll be able to hire to vet the submissions. Or perhaps it will morph into a brand new version of Canadian Idol!

Spare me.

We know the Mothercorps is having fiscal problems but perhaps they should be looking to cut some of their unpopular programming and reduce staff, rather than resorting to this type of desperation.

And no, axing Don Cherry is not the answer, Marilla.

Or maybe it’s time to just get on with it and sell off the CBC to private interests, just as they’ll selling out Canadians now.

* * * *

Update : A special welcome to readers of Hockey News Aggregator!

BTW, this is a far bigger scandal than the Bernier affair, folks. I can tell by all the hits that have already come in.

Sunday Update: Tom Brodbeck has a great column - Theme irreplaceable :

…Canadians don’t rally around many issues with the kind of rage required to effect change at the national level.

We’re a lethargic, accepting lot most of the time, not easily moved to storm the Bastille with pitchforks and baseball bats.

But take away our hockey sticks — or cancel the Hockey Night in Canada theme song, same thing — and a March of a Million Hockey Nuts sporting Don Cherry masks will descend upon Parliament Hill with more vengeance than an angry mob of Winnipeggers about to lose their NHL franchise.

Cancelling the HNIC theme song is like telling Canadians they can’t drink beer anymore. You might as well try to ban street hockey…

* * * *

Monday Update : DA-da Na-na-na!

CTV acquires exclusive rights to "The Hockey Theme" !!!   Take that , CBC!

This decision is about as dumb as it gets. The CBC is actually planning bump Marketplace out of its slot in favour of U.S. programming. In fact, Connie Woodchuck says it has been temporarily shelved (H/T National Newswatch ).

Marketplace! This is just dumb, dumb and dumber . Only by cancelling The Mercer Report or Hockey Night in Canada could they top this one.

Marketplace is one of a meager selection of Mothercorps productions that has any redeeming value at all (IMHO). Witness the relevancy regarding the recent "Product of Canada " announcements regarding consumer food products!

But they’re keeping Little Mosque ?

This just proves what a ridiculous waste of taxpayers’ money this archaic institution has become. Why shouldn’t it be offered on a user-pay basis just like every other broadcaster in this country?

Back in a previous post we discussed the merits of the CBC and the debate is still raging on . I should be selling tickets.

Please join in either there or here and air your thoughts.

* * * *

Update : Interesting Globe piece here by Marsha Lederman regarding the fact that Marketplace doesn’t run commercials during the body of the show. Well, couldn’t they change that?

And you gotta love the hubris here:

…He (Richard Stursberg, vice-president of English services) added that CBC’s audience and ratings improved this year, and he vowed to maintain the uptick in 2008. "We are on a very big roll," he told the crowd. "CBC continues to be the most important cultural institution in Canada. We beat Global in prime time for the first time since 1995."

As the adaptation from Congreve’s play says, ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’ .

And, as in some tawdry soap opera, Julie Couillard seems to be holding nothing back in her attempt to clear her own name and take down the once-promising career of her ex-lover into the bargain. National Newswatch has a plethora of news and pundit links for your reading pleasure. Many Blogging Tories and Libloggers, and New Democrats Online have also weighed in on this one.

On the upside, we may have the answer to CBC President Hubert Lacroix’s lament about the need to increase ratings . The plot is already there - it just needs to be fleshed out .

And of course we could always count on the CBC to be non-partisan and produce dramas based on scandals from previous governments as well, right?

In your dreams.

* * * *

Update : Jack Layton was just on the Jeff Allan show this morning, stating that they will ask the RCMP to investigate this matter.

CTV -More fallout expected… Comments are interesting. Especially this one from someone who is likely an NDP supporter (See comments following this post):

Election Time?
All we need now is a confidence motion (Most likely from the NDP) that asks if this minority government is fit to run the country based on presumed security breaches. This motion SHOULD be tabled before June’s summer recess. Let’s find out from the Liberals (And the Bloc) how serious they consider this to be: Enough to take the moral stand for the betterment of Canada and it’s citizens or simply sitting on their hands again and abstaining to vote because of the risk of losing a lot of seats in an election: Saving their political bacon.

I say the latter is probably a good bet.

Duff on Jeff Allan - In the old days, faced with a similar situation the Liberals likely would have put him in the Senate!

Duff also mentioned that classified material is closely guarded and the whereabouts of each document is carefully watched, which makes one wonder where the checks and balances were for the month that Couillard allegedly had the material?

* * * *

Wednesday Update : Couillard a helpless victim? Cry me a River - Globe.

David Asper on the Maxime Bernier pile-on - An attack driven by hypocrisy and sexism . (Post )

L. Ian MacDonald’s piece in the Gazette is a good read - "Bernier didn’t fly too close to sun. He never got off the ground."

Thursday Update : Women and the ethics vote - Terence Corcoran.

CBC Prez Hubert Lacroix is starting to get quite the lambasting from conservative bloggers for his appeal for more taxpayers’ money.

Since the mere thought of the CBC asking the government to increase per-Canadian funding from $33 to $40 makes me see RED , I’ll leave it to my colleagues to handle this one.

However, I can’t pass up a comment on this line:

…In an "ideal world," Lacroix said, the CBC could free itself from its dependency on advertisers. The current setup, however, does not make those allowances, he said…

Yeah, reality sucks, eh? Here’s a thought though. How about producing some shows that are actually relevant and that don’t try to continually preach the politically-correct view of the world as the CBC sees it?

Or perhaps the CBC could ask the Liberal Party to do a little extra fundraising on behalf of their fellow caucus-members .

* * * *

Tuesday Update : CBC target of surging information complaints: report - Globe .